


Bittersweet

by PinkPandorafrog



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aromantic, F/M, Some angst, time-traveling AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 19:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7450672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/pseuds/PinkPandorafrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy's back in her own time again, but it doesn't feel as good as she thought it would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bittersweet

**Author's Note:**

> This is a possible ending for the [Out of Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6225937/chapters/14271097) series.

Darcy sat bolt upright in her bed, hot tears still streaming down her face. She didn't remember the dream, that was nice. It was always worse when she could remember the heartbreak, fresh and raw.

She knew there was no going back to sleep now, or she'd probably fall back into the same dream. She got up, grabbing yesterday's leggings and a t-shirt before stuffing her feet into her fuzzy slippers.

Swiping at her cheeks with the back of one hand, she moved to the door and opened it. A drink sounded like a really good idea. Thankfully it seemed quiet out there tonight, she wasn't sure she was up to company. Sometimes the other occupants of the floor tended to keep odd hours. But there was no noise coming from where the hall opened up into the common area.

She reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, trying to figure out what she wanted to drink. It wasn't like there was any shortage of options. _Ovaltine_ popped into her head, completely unbidden. _Except that_. The thought had come to her from seemingly out of nowhere. She hadn't had it in a while, even before she'd come back to the present time. Not since she'd lived with Angie and Peggy. A bittersweet smile crossed her lips, and she shook her head. “That's not happening,” she muttered to herself.

“What's not happening?”

She jumped, startled, and whirled around to see Tony standing over by the entryway in one of his sleeveless undershirts. His arms came up to fold across his chest as he looked at her. She relaxed a little when she saw who it was. “Ovaltine.” She'd wanted to be alone, but Tony was okay.

He walked through the kitchen, his hand sliding over her shoulder as he passed her, and pulled open one of the cupboards. When he turned back around, he was holding a canister of Ovaltine. He held it out, one eyebrow raised.

Her smile was a little bit more genuine as she crossed to him. Her fingers brushed against his as she took it. “When did we get this?”

“You've mentioned it a couple times.” He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at something over her shoulder. That was what he did when he wanted to downplay something he'd done. Howard did the same thing. _Had done_ the same thing.

It really was striking how similar the two were. Not that she'd ever point that out to Tony, she knew enough about his childhood to know that he probably wouldn't appreciate the comparison. Although that was something that was bothering her. Sure Howard could be a little bit selfish and single-minded sometimes, but he wasn't bitter or cruel. At least not while she'd known him. Granted, that had been decades before Tony had even been born.

“Thanks.” She made two mugs without really thinking about it, habit from making some for she and Angie before bed. Even after not having done it in a while, but it was an easy routine to fall into, almost soothing in a way. When the microwave went off the second time, she looked up at Tony, realizing what she'd done. “Shit. I didn't even ask if you wanted some. I'm sorry.”

“No. It's fine.” He picked up the mug that was already hot and took a sip. “Not bad. Not great, but not bad.”

Darcy pulled her own mug out and gave it a good stir before taking a drink. “It's not the same.” Not just the company or the kitchen she was in, it actually tasted different.

“Well, no. Probably not.” He shrugged, grimacing a little. “Corn industry...”

She set the mug gently down so she could hoist herself up onto the counter beside the microwave, careful not to bump her head. She picked up the mug and inhaled the familiar scent, her legs swinging a little as she took another drink. She hadn't really spent a whole lot of time with Tony since she'd been back. He seemed to be giving her space, and she was kinda... giving everyone space.

She took another long drink and stared down at the swirling brown liquid. “I'm gonna have to leave.”

Tony came over to stand at the counter beside her, staring at the wall over the sink. “When?” He didn't sound entirely surprised.

“Soon as I figure out where to go.” She shook her head. “I just can't do it. I see Steve and Bucky, and I can practically see them in their old uniforms. I'm back in that fucking basement, or I'm smelling Tim's cologne, or I'm telling Howard where he put that thing he was looking for.” She looked up at Tony, the bittersweet smile turning up her lips again. “He tried so hard to get into my pants.”

“That... Doesn't surprise me, actually.” He shook his head, a rueful look on his face. “He was faithful to Mom as far as I knew, but there was a certain reputation.”

“He backed off when I gave in and told him I was banging his son, though.” There was a twinge of guilt at that thought, although it wasn't really rational.

“That's something, I guess.” His thumb rubbed back and forth over the top of the handle.

She sighed. “I think that's what's fucking with me the most. I said goodbye to Howard. We sort of drifted apart after the whole basement thing. I mean, we still kept in touch, I still went to help him out sometimes or whatever, but he was involved in so much and he was always out of town. Every time I saw him I kinda figured it would be a long time until I saw him again. Tim, though, I didn't get to say goodbye to him. Or any of the guys.” After everything they'd been through together...

“And now...” She trailed off, not wanting to state the obvious. Now they were all dead, all except Peggy. And the two men sleeping just down the hall, who looked practically the same as the last time she'd seen them before they'd died. To be fair, she'd known that Steve wasn't dead, not permanently. Bucky, though, that had been quite the surprise.

“You could stay at my house.” He wasn't looking at her again, instead studying his drink. “In Malibu, I mean. Recently renovated. It's quiet.”

She took a second to consider it, but that wouldn't work. “Thank you. That's sweet, but I think I'll have to pass. I'm not used to quiet anymore.” Howard was larger than life, he'd always seemed to occupy more space than someone of his stature was entitled to. And then, of course, the war had been nothing but constant noise, even down in her basement. Then the city... She sighed again. “Maybe I'll let Fury suck me back into the SHIELD machine.” He'd pushed for it pretty hard when she'd done her debriefing. “I think I'm actually still technically an agent? Not sure.”

Tony arched an eyebrow and glanced over at her. “What about Jane?”

Jane would take her back without question, she knew that. “I'm years behind on her research, and she has actual sciency people to help out now.” Darcy made a face. “I think I'd just get in the way.”

“I could come with you.” He took another drink before giving the mug a look and dumping it down the sink. “Stay at my house for a while. I need to take a look at what they did with my shop anyway, probably fix everything. Did you really drink this?”

“Yeah.” She made a face again. “It tasted different, and it was more the company and the habit than anything else. Irish cream would probably help a whole lot.”

He gave the sink a wry look. “Now you tell me.”

“We didn't have Irish cream, of course. Angie would sometimes add whiskey to it, but...” Another bittersweet smile crossed her lips. “I've never really liked just whiskey.” She set the mug down on the counter and shifted a little, trying to push those memories back down. “That's another good thing about this time, the liquor selection is _way_ better.”

“You'll be happy to know my bar is just as stocked as it was when you left. I think everything is better in this time.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, widening her eyes a little. “Trust me, it's not the air quality that I miss.”

Tony studied her for a long moment, his face falling into a more serious expression. “We tried to get you back. We tried everything we could think of, everything Fury would let us do.” It was his turn for a wry smile. “Quite a few things he wouldn't, too. I don't know if you knew this, but Jane's a little reckless.” He gave her an exaggerated grimace.

“That coming from you...” Darcy smiled. She'd already had this conversation with Jane, she didn't really feel like having it again. At least not right now. She reached over and grabbed the side of his shirt, gently pulling until he moved over in front of her, stepping between her thighs. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He didn't ask what she was thanking him for, which was probably good. She wasn't even sure she knew, not really.

Her hands rested on either side of his face, and she leaned in slowly until their lips brushed together. Pulling back, she met his gaze again, she could see an echo of the deep ache that she couldn't seem to shake lurking in his eyes.

“We could get away for a bit.” He reached out until his hands bracketed her hips. “We could road-trip, I hear the midwest is particularly stormy at this time of year.”

“I think you like going too fast to really get into the whole road-tripping thing. No, I honestly think there's only one place where I'm going to find any semblance of peace right now.” She shook her head. “At least Fury's not the absolute asshole Colonel Phillips was.”

“You didn't have an easy time out there, did you?” His eyes were warm, caring.

Darcy took in a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh. “Not really. New York wasn't bad. California was actually pretty good since it seemed a little further away from everything. But there was always something, you know? And it felt like...” She pressed her lips together, eyes falling down to her lap. “Everything was so much faster-paced, then. Probably the war, the shorter life expectancy. But now it feels like time is crawling by, and somehow I still haven't been able to decompress.”

“What can I do?” His hand stroked over the side of her face, his fingers combing back into her hair.

She stared at him for a moment before leaning forward to give him another gentle kiss. “Come to bed with me?”

His shoulders slumped a little, almost like that wasn't the answer he was looking for, but he nodded. He backed away, gently pulling her down from the counter until her feet touched the floor. He took her hand, holding it tightly as they went down the hall to her room.

Darcy stopped by her bed and stripped off her clothes. She looked over at Tony to see a sort of hesitant look on his face. “You okay?”

“We don't have to do this- anything.” His eyes were trained directly on her face. “I know you've been through a lot, probably more than you've told anybody.”

She crossed to him, her palms sliding up over his chest to his shoulders. His hands settled in the small of her back it seemed almost by reflex. “Do you not want to?”

A trace of the familiar smirk was back. “Oh, believe me, Darce. I want to.”

“Good.” Her fingers drifted down again to close over the hem of his shirt and start pulling it up. “So do I.”

He cooperated, lifting his arms so she could push the shirt up and off. He dropped his own pants, kicking them out of the way.

Tony had a few more scars than he had before, but then so did she. She touched the silvery lines that dotted and scored his body, traced them with her lips. She knew a little about what the Avengers had been up to while she was away, it was easy enough to track online. But that wasn't the extent of it, not even close.

His hands moved over her body, the slight roughness from working in his shop catching a little against her skin. He sought out all her sensitive spots, playing her body until she was breathless and pleading. He hadn't forgotten the spots that made her weak in the knees, working over them with his lips, his tongue.

They ended up on the bed, her back pressed against the length of his chest, her leg hiked back over his hip. Her fingers tangled in the back of his hair as he rolled her nipples between finger and thumb.

His hand slid slowly down over the curve of her belly until he found her slick heat. He stroked along her center before his fingers settled over her clit, rubbing in a tight circle.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, heat rising in a tight wave. She shifted against his touch, tugging a little bit at his hair as he pushed her higher and higher.

His fingers left her clit, sliding through her center until they pressed up deep into her cunt. She gasped, arching into him. “Tony!”

“I needed that.” He pushed them in an out slowly, almost maddeningly slowly. “God, I've missed that. What do you need, Darcy?” His words were low in her ear, a gentle caress on their own.

Everything. She needed everything. She needed him to flip her over and pound her into the mattress. She needed him to tease her, denying her release until she was mindless and begging. She needed him to hold her close and rock into her until the sun came up.

“You,” came out on a sigh, almost pleading. She reached up with her free hand and gripped the fingers of the arm that was serving as her pillow.

He slipped his digits out of her. In just a second she felt the wide head of his cock nudging up against her. She tilted her hips back, shifting down a little to take him deep inside.

They rocked together, slow and unhurried. His lips brushed against her shoulder, she linked her fingers with his. Everything else fell away. It was just the two of them on her bed in the dark. There were no bad memories, no confused timelines, no disconnects.

His hand slipped down in front of her again, his fingers rubbing lightly over her clit. Her pleasure grew more gently this time, building up until it crested with a long sigh.

She didn't know how long they moved together, bodies whispering over her sheet, soft sighs and breathless gasps filling the room. At last Tony came to a stop, buried deep inside her, his cock pulsing with his own release.

She pulled their joined hands up to her mouth to brush her lips over his fingers. He slipped free, but he didn't go anywhere, his arm around her waist holding her close.

“You're not going to reconsider that road trip, are you?” He knew he couldn't, she could hear it in the finality in his voice.

Darcy shook her head, nestling back against him. “No. But I know you have consulting privileges with SHIELD. I'll let you know where I end up. Besides...” She toyed with his fingers, resting their hands against the pillow. “I might need you to get me out of there. I don't want to be stuck in a basement again.”

“You think Fury would really do that?” He was incredulous about that.

“No. But I've kinda learned that anything is possible.” Her lips twisted into a wry expression that she was glad he couldn't see.

His arm tightened around her, his lips moving across the back of her shoulder.

 

**Author's Note:**

> My perpetual Darcy goes back in time and spends the war in a basement AU. Written to Make Me a Bird by Elektrik People for a reverse song prompt!


End file.
